For this series of Q&As, we strike up a chat with members of our wonderful leadership team so you can get to know them and learn about the fantastic work they do for our team and, ultimately, our clients.

This time we meet with the three OT team leaders – Amy Jesse, Blaine Francis and Shona Rudland. Collaboratively, they look after our team of over 20 Occupational Therapists, with each team leader bringing their unique expertise, approach and leadership style to the table.

Now let’s hear what they have to share with us…

  1. To start, we’d love to hear a bit about each of your journeys. What drew you specifically to the field of neuro Occupational Therapy, and what is it about this area that keeps you passionate?

Amy
I started to take an interest in allied health and OT, when my grandmother had a stroke. I remember visiting the rehab unit and seeing what she was doing in therapy, and thought “this is for me”. When I started OT, I was completely fascinated by the neurological system, and how every functional presentation was different. I am still fascinated to this day. This is what drives my passion for supporting clients to achieve their own goals in life.


Blaine
My passion for working in the neuro space takes me back to my early university days when I worked part-time as a tennis coach. I had the opportunity to work with a fantastic group of TAC clients with TBI. All the facets of coaching that I’d taken for granted were really highlighted in working with these clients. I had to adapt my communication style, work to build rapport and adapt my standardised coaching approaches to meet the functional abilities of the person. It was a different way of thinking, involving problem solving and constant adaptation to support the client’s progression. I was sold from here on in. It was a privilege to watch the growth and skill development of the group.


Shona
I’ve always been interested in how people with disabilities live independently and participate in life and always knew I wanted to work in this area. I first came across Occupational Therapy while looking into university course options and was immediately hooked. After a few work experience placements, I knew it was for me. I initially wanted to work with people with spinal injuries, but that led me into the huge and fascinating world of neuro-rehabilitation. It’s a super varied and interesting clinical area; every client is different, with their own goals. I genuinely pick up something new every single day, and the best bit is seeing the amazing progress and big wins people make after major life changes.

  1. We believe in celebrating success. Amy, could you share a story about a time your OT team had a truly meaningful ‘win’—perhaps achieving a fantastic client outcome, mastering a difficult caseload, or bringing a successful new initiative to life?

Amy
Reflecting on the past year, I am immensely proud of how our OT team has successfully navigated and managed change in a healthcare landscape that really has thrown a lot at us. The team worked incredibly well together to support each other, manage client change as seamlessly as possible and cope with the unknown. The response and collective resilience has been nothing short of inspiring, turning a challenging year into a major win for the OT team.

  1. Effective collaboration is key in rehabilitation. Blaine, can you walk us through how you’ve worked with the wider multidisciplinary team (MDT) to craft genuinely holistic, person-centred plans? How do you ensure the vital Occupational Therapy perspective is heard and woven seamlessly into everyone else’s goals?

Blaine
Collaboration is certainly the key to client success. A well functioning team is one that frequently communicates, is guided by the client goal, is inclusive of all members and seeks support and collective guidance as required.

The practice of OT can at times be vast and quite naturally sit across multiple goals. Ensuring we stay true to our expertise and focus on collaboration is vital. An example I can share comes from working with a client who wants to continue to drive their wheelchair independently to access the community (despite clear signs of deterioration).

As a MDT we have come together on multiple occasions to create a plan to help mitigate risk and ensure the overall safety and independence of the client in the community.

Each of the MDT roles are identified below and contribute to the overall goal:
Client: primary decision making capacity and guides team focus
Physiotherapist: transfers and seating posture in chair
Neuropsychology: behavioural management and cognitive function
Support coordinator: funding and managing funding repairs to wheelchair, team coordination
Support workers: monitoring and supporting client wheelchair function in the community
External equipment supplier: Provide repairs, equipment adaptation
Family: Supporting client with decision making and understanding risks
GP: medication and diabetes management, hearing and visual referrals

From the OT lens, effective and timely communication based on functional assessment and emphasising the severity of risks have been what enable the OT’s perspective to be integrated along the continuum of care.

  1. Leading a team is a rewarding but demanding role. We care about the well-being of our leaders. Shona, how do you personally look after your own energy and resilience? What are your key strategies for managing a busy workload and prioritising self-care?

Shona
Leading a team can be demanding and challenging, but it’s also very enjoyable and rewarding because we have such a friendly and hard working team who all want to support our clients to achieve their goals. Sometimes it can be difficult to switch off and protect time for family and ourselves. I always aim to keep work within a strict time structure and turn everything work related off at the end of the day. Outside of work I’m often taking my children to various activities, which I’m grateful to be involved with. I like to set myself fitness goals to force myself to fit in exercise and keep healthy, and I make sure I book in social activities, because if I don’t book them in, I won’t do them! Being a good leader is definitely easier when we’re looking after our own wellbeing.

  1. We know that complex rehabilitation is both emotionally and physically taxing on staff. Amy, what supportive strategies would you put in place as a leader to actively monitor and nurture your team members’ work-life balance and mental health?

Amy
Working as community OTs we manage a range of complex situations that can be quite confronting at times. My approach as a leader is centered on being genuinely available and present in the moment. Beyond just listening, I aim to show active care by collaboratively problem-solving the immediate hurdles while also keeping an eye on the bigger picture. It’s about helping them navigate next steps while simultaneously checking in on their personal wellbeing. I try to remain focused on modelling and supporting sustainable self-care for our clinicians.

  1. Since our team members often work autonomously in the community, feeling connected and supported is vital. Blaine, what systems would you create to ensure they always have a clear avenue to debrief, seek guidance, and feel truly part of the team, especially when facing complex or challenging situations?

Blaine
Knowing our team is vital when working autonomously to ensure they have the relational trust to seek our support when it is required. The team fosters this through consistent open communication and contact, social connection and mutual respect.

How we achieve this with such a large team:
Divide and conquer: we have three OT team leaders who support members across the team and we set up monthly catch-up in person or online to understand how they are tracking at work, personally and ensuring wellbeing is paramount.
Social engagement: we gather at work and outside of work to facilitate chatter that is lighter and palatable given the complexity of our work.
Support: Support is not a hierarchy; we use groups chats to ask Qs, share knowledge and interact on the daily which contributes to growth.
Celebrate success: we celebrate success by sharing in each others wins with the broader team.

  1. Shona, looking back on this year, what moments truly stand out for you and the Occupational Therapy team? What are the achievements or experiences that you’ll carry forward?

Shona
The last year has been a challenging one with lots of change having been thrown at us by the external sector. I’m proud of the way we’ve improved our strategic planning and processes to make sure that the changes don’t impact the standards of clinical care that our clients receive and ensure that we are still a brilliant workplace for our clinicians.

Brilliant to chat with you Amy, Blaine and Shona! It’s great to hear how you manage the leadership responsibilities – you each individually bring so much value to the team, which collectively creates something truly special.

Thank you for everything you do and how you show up every day!